Pride
by PrInCeSsFBi
Summary: "A prank? Anders, a laptop with valuable information has been stolen, you are being harassed both at work and at home, some woman totaled your car, and now someone has broken into our office to leave a dead cat on the coffee table. This is not a prank! This is sick and weird! There is a dead cat in our office!"


**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Except Henry. He's mine... sorta. **

**a/n: A little bit more intense than my usual pieces. So here's a warning.**

**Viewers Discretion is Advised **

"Thanks David," Dawn said as she signed for the package. David gave a nod with a smile before the carrier left bike helmet being clipped to his head as he went.

"Who's David?" Anders called sitting on his desk and not in his chair, looking through his papers.

"He's the carrier that has been bringing our packages and taking our contracts to clients for over a year now." Dawn said not surprised that Anders didn't know who had been running their contracts to and from them. It was typical Anders.

"Oh…that's nice. Could you not nail our carriers? It makes it difficult when they don't deliver sensitive documents because you broke up with him."

"I don't screw our carriers! Unlike you I like to get to know people outside of my bed." Dawn said incredulously. She didn't know why she let him get to her but honestly the smile he would get when he saw he had riled her up was enough to wonder why she was still working for him. It was insufferable how he received enjoyment by pressing her buttons.

"Speaking of which did you send flowers to those shipping company models?" He said with that small smile she had been waiting for. _Such a child_ she thought rolling her eyes.

"Yes." Dawn said with a sigh. She sifted through the mail, glancing at addresses and pulled out the company bills knowing she was going to have to finish them by the end of the day. Hefting the package onto her side, she rounded the corner just as Anders was about to make sweet love to his espresso machine, and handed him the mail.

"What's this?" Anders asked sipping his espresso and dropping the shot of caffeine onto the table. He took the package and pulled at the tape. He loved packages. Usually it was favors returned from clients and it was like Christmas all over again.

"You have a two o'clock appointment with Mr. Bowie from the American whiskey company and a three o'clock appointment with Ms. Winters. She's unhappy with the font on the posters _again._" Dawn read from her notebook.

"Cancel my three o'clock. I have better things to do than to listen to that woman go on about Times New Roman and move my two o'clock to a lunch. I'm starving. What's this?" Anders tilted his head as he pulled out a glass figurine. It was a cat with it's back arched and tail pointed made of melted glass. The glass was various hues of red and orange with a green splash dropped in on the arch of the back and dripping down onto the stomach.

"It's hideous." Dawn scrunched her nose up in disgust. "Who would send you that?"

"Don't know. No card." Anders replied trying to find an appeal to it from different angles. It wasn't working. Sighing in disappointment he dumped the glass cat into Dawn's arms. "Here. You can have it. Give your cat a friend."

"I don't have a cat!" Dawn glared holding onto the cat and moving away from her boss before she hit him with it. It was heavy and she just propped it onto the table set up for conference calls to be disposed of later. _On second thought_ she pointed it to look directly at Anders from his desk with a self-satisfied smirk before she returned back to her desk to get through the mound of bills waiting to be paid.

* * *

"So I'm sitting there and we're having a good time and suddenly it's just a bunch of 'how come you don't talk like they do in those movies? Why aren't you a cowboy' and she got this frown on her face and that was the end of it." Henry drank his whiskey, courtesy of Anders's new client, with a grimace. His friend, on the other hand, was laughing his ass off at Henry's lack of certain attentions from the opposite gender.

"So," Anders said from in between chuckles. "She didn't want to compete for your affections with a dumb cup."

"It isn't a cup!" Henry glared. "It's a chalice and I don't talk it about it that much."

"Mhmmmm yes you do." Anders nodded with a knowing smirk. "But unlike your date last night, I'm interested... usually. The other times I just tune you out."

"Dick." Henry muttered leaning back against the bar and checking out the crowd. Anders smirked at him before he threw back his vodka.

"So how is that quest of yours going?" Anders asked watching Henry sulk as he swirled his whiskey.

"It's not." Henry bitterly replied. "The trail has stopped here and ever since I came to New Zealand none of the clues have matched up. I just keep going in circles."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Try finding a goddess that could be any one of these girls. At least you have something definitive. You're looking for a cup!"

"A chalice." Henry corrected. Anders stared at his friend who was morosely fiddling with his drink. He could see that Henry had run himself ragged at the gym again by the way he was slumping in his seat and the alcohol wasn't helping in the slightest. He wasn't Henry's mum and he liked to let him live his life but he was concerned. Genuinely concerned despite what most people would think and he couldn't help but feel for his friend. He was going to regret say what he was going to say to Henry but he needed to for the sake of an argument.

"Look, have you ever thought about the possibility that maybe you would be better off living the life of a god walking around with mortals?" He said with a sigh. Henry looked at him in mild irritation but Anders just held a hand up. "I can't believe I'm saying this but maybe you're better off without your dad in your life." Anders swallowed more vodka and let the burn linger in his throat before he placed his glass down. "Look at me! My dad buggered off into the sea and my mother became a fucking tree. Look how great it worked for me! I turned out fine."

"Your's and mine definition of fine are two very different things." Henry muttered under his breath with a chuckle. He rubbed a tired hand over his face."You had Mike at least."

"No, I didn't." Anders said with a shake of his head. He took an olive that had been floating in his drink and sucked on it before he ate one off the spear. "He buggered off too. Left me to take care of Ty and Axl. Soon as he came back I was gone. I wasn't going to get trapped again."

Henry caught the angry bitter flash before it could be wiped clean from his face and replaced with a smirk along his lips. Anders popped another olive into his mouth before wiping his hands and pushing his glass further up the bar to be refilled. "Look I need Mike about as much as I need little blue pills to help me at night."

Henry just scoffed in disgust at the crassness of Anders's words. For the god of poetry he sure knew how to pick a guy up with gross images. Anders simply because he still thinks he can play dad doesn't change anything. I've been doing fine on my own. Without him."

Henry didn't say anything and after waiting a moment Anders sighed in defeat. He knew it was hit or miss whenever Henry was in these moods.

"If it makes you feel better," He said. "As soon as we find the Frigg and I've ascending to my all godly ness… I can kick his Greek arse if you want."

"How's Axl doing with his be a man thing?" Henry asked with a sideways glance to him. Anders let him change the subject though he gave Henry a knowing look.

"He still thinks you're going to cut his head off with your sword when he's not looking."

They spent the rest of the night drinking the tiring day away and after an eventful trip home Anders fell asleep as soon as he hit his bed hoping Henry would forgive him by the morning when he had sobered up.

Anders had slept alone several times. His sex was constant but that didn't change that he still came home and slept sprawled across his bed like it was a great lover. He loved his bed. And he was a pretty normal sleeper. He didn't wake up to a truck outside but he would certainly be up and moving around if a hurricane happened. Which was why he looked at his clock confused. The red numbers were blurry with sleep and he groaned as he rolled onto his side in the dark. _Why the fuck I am awake? _It took him a few minutes to realize that he was simply staring at his wall and not actually falling back to sleep before he groaned into his pillow.

Yawning he stood, the carpet feeling harsh against his bare feet, and scratched the back of his neck. His lower back cracked and he shuffled through his dark apartment. Checking his fish he stared at his little aquatic friends swimming happily through the plants and bubbles.

The hair on the back of his neck stood tall and he stiffened. Anders wasn't the type to get easily spooked and he hadn't been afraid of the dark since he was three but he still stood looking behind him and trying to see through the shadows, the fish tank his night light illuminating the room. An edge of uneasiness stabbed Anders in the gut and a frown marred his face. Turning back he checked his front door as he passed. Locked. Trying to shrug off the uncomfortable feeling, he went back into his room and curled up under the blankets trying to block out the cold emptiness that had settled on him.

* * *

Anders walked in through the office hung over and exhausted. He bypassed Dawn with a wave of his hand and made his way directly to his espresso machine. He hadn't slept for the rest of the night, waking up every couple of hours, and clearly it hadn't helped with his head at all. A bottle of aspirin was waiting for him by the machine and he would have to remember to kiss Dawn when the room eventually stopped spinning.

"Dawn," Anders called. "Hold my calls. I've got shit to do."

Dawn muttered under her breath but he ignored her and swallowed the pills. Henry had brought Anders down and he just didn't get shit done when he was bummed out. In fact he blamed him entirely for his lack of sleep. But he knew what it felt like to be stuck in what seemed like an endless search. So, maybe he decided he'd give a good search for his friend. If he found something: great and if not that was just a good couple of hours where he could work off his hangover. He had looked up the stupid cup. It had been a gift from Zeus to Hera but somehow it had been lost and Hera was not happy about it. He knew that Henry had gotten it into his head that finding the chalice would get him some sort of acknowledgement from dear ol' Dad upstairs and despite everything that Anders told him he knew his friend wasn't going to give up. So, mind set and ready for a new search he grabbed his espresso and turned to his desk only to stop and stare. He blinked a few times and tilted his head wondering if he was more hung over than he thought.

"Dawn," Anders called staring at his desk. Dawn snatched her notebook and pen before coming to stand in front of him rather begrudgingly. "Where is my computer?"

"What?" Dawn asked alarmed. She looked at his desk and though not a paper was out of place the laptop was in fact missing. "Did you take it home last night?"

"No," he said slowly. Dawn walked over to his desk and shuffled a few things around her movements turning frantic as her search turned fruitless. Anders looked around at the couch but there was nothing.

"Anders! That had all of our clients personal information."

"I'm very much aware of that but right now I am more concerned about where my laptop actually is at this moment in time!" He glanced around but the laptop remained out of sight.

"Did you take it home last night?" Dawn asked her voice rising with panic.

"Are you kidding? I had better things to do last night than work."

"Anders!" Dawn looked just short of hitting Anders but before he could say anything he held up a hand and sneezed, his head screaming at him for the sudden and loud intrusion, and the hangover he was close to forgetting came back in full. The sweet smell of perfume assaulted his nose and made his stomach churn unpleasantly. The sharp shrill ring of his phone could only add to his migraine. Placing pacifying hands on her shoulders, extending her back and hiding the fact that he almost threw up on her with a wince, Anders turned away from her with a wave of his hand.

"Anders Johnson." He answered. There was no response just the painful silence that came when someone dialed the wrong number before the _click_ signaled the hang up on the other end. Anders shrugged and turned back to Dawn who looked like Anders had just told her he had run over her cat. Normally he would have teased her about the way her face got all cute when she was angry but he was still seriously considering throwing up on her shoes and he wasn't sure she would let him live after that.

"Alright. Alright, fine. I don't exactly remember what happened last night." Yes, he did. It had been a long time since he had gotten pissed enough to lose time but he supposed there could have been the possibility. Snatching his keys and jacket he retracted his entrance. "I will go back to my flat and search high and low for this laptop. Look for it here."

"Anders!"

But he didn't stop and dodged the carrier, probably with the files Dawn sent for a while back, to make his way to his car. Once in the car Anders ran a tired hand over his face. It was too early and he was too hung over for this day to go this bad! And all because he wanted to do a good deed. No good deed goes unpunished he supposed. Oh well.

And so without his much needed caffeine, Anders drove back to his flat.

When Anders arrived at his flat, the smell of perfume still lingering in his nose, he gave a glance back at his fish as he made his way to his small dining room table. A file or two littered the space but no laptop.

"Shit." He cursed under his breath and turned sharply on his heel into his room. It looked the same as when he left it. Gray comforter spread across the mattress, pillow on the ground and towel draped over his hamper. But no laptop. Bending down and grabbing the pillow he tossed it back on his mattress before he walked back to his living room.

He rounded the corner and ran straight into the giant tree that was his younger brother.

"Jesus fuck, Axl!" Anders hissed glaring at Axl.

"Sorry!" Axl held his hands up and had enough sense to look a bit sheepish at having startled his brother. "The door was open."

Growling, Anders shoved past his brother. His laptop had to be around somewhere. If Dawn had found it she would have called, so that meant he was stuck until he searched his place high and low as promised.

"What are you doing?" Axl asked slowly watching Anders pull up his couch cushions only to storm past him and start raiding through his cabinets.

"Looking for a missing laptop that has all my clients personal information on it." He said easily though he was starting to get frustrated. It had to be somewhere. It didn't just vanish!

"Why don't you just ask Mike to find it?" Axl asked as if he was hinting at something. If this was Axl coming to guilt trip Anders into his helping his self righteous dick of an older brother again then he could forget it. He had actual work to do and research on a chalice if he could find his damn laptop! Grabbing his phone he texted Henry asking if he had seen him with it the night before while he simultaneously brushed off his brother.

"Because I don't need Mike's help."

"The missing laptop says you do." Axl said crossing his arms across his chest.

"Sorry did you actually want something or did you just come here to ditch class from that university you never go to." Anders quipped before he went back to searching. Axl followed him, a trick Anders had picked up on when Axl had been younger. If he really wanted something, which was most of the time, Axl would follow someone around and talk without actually getting in the way as long as he thought you were listening. He had started it when he had been in the 'everything's a question' phase when he was a toddler.

"I need help figuring out how to be a man."

Anders frowned confused. "I thought we had this discussion." He said glancing over his shoulder.

"A real man Anders." Axl ground out in frustration. He ducked as Anders started chucking large pieces of laundry. "Not some dick who sleeps around all the time like you. Kvasir said that I need to become a man and my Frigg will come to me. But I've talked to loads of girls. How am I suppose to know they are the Frigg. None of them felt like when I saw Hel. But does that count? I mean she was Ty's crazy wife not mine. I've tried learning how to use my sword and for a while I thought that balance shit you and Henry were teaching me was some kind of fucked up metaphor for life. But it's not working and I just don't how else to go about this."

"I thought you didn't want my help anymore." Anders turned on his heel and went back into the living room, opening and closing the cabinets and liquor cupboard.

"I do! Mike's just been... a bit busy and Zeb's been the only real helpful person on this quest. It doesn't help that the only two oracles I know are either drunk or stoned all the time. But I just can't help but feel like I'm looking at this all wrong!"

Anders sighed and gave his pitiful baby brother his full attention. He knew that tone and it wasn't a tone that was doing their ascension into Asgard any favors.

"Fine, you want my advice?" Axl nodded his head. "Get your priorities straight."

"You're one to talk." Axl scoffed.

"I paid my way through school, I built up a business, I live in a nice apartment that I bought with my own money, and I can afford to go out with beautiful women for dinner and a drink that isn't in some shitty old diner you found in college town." Anders said with matter a fact tone as he counted on his fingers. Axl shrunk underneath the truth of his brother's words. Anders and Mike had always been one to give the best advice though and he nodded. He could see his point. "Find something to work for and do it. Stop sitting in your flat drinking cheap beer all day. Go out a nail a few girls and be happy and eventually the Frigg will find you."

And then, as if on cue, Anders would get distracted by sex again.

"So... you're saying that the only way to happiness is through money?" Axl didn't hide his disgust in his voice very well.

The blond turned and began sifting through his living room. "Look, despite what you all think, I am happy with my life. Can you say the same? Can Mike? There's no point in asking Ty. The cold bastard tells us every week how fucking miserable he is."

Anders phone buzzed on the counter and he launched himself across the living room hoping that it was Dawn telling him she found the laptop and he could go back to sleep off his horrible day.

_No. _Was all the reply Henry sent and no text from Dawn. Anders frowned. He must still be mad at the things Anders had said the night before. He'd get over it though. It' not like Anders had been wrong!

"This damn thing isn't here!" Anders declared and with an aggressive snatch of his keys he threw a jacket on and stormed out of his flat, little brother in tow. Axl seemed to be deep in thought and Anders forced out another long suffered sigh. He gave his brother a shrug as he pushed open the door to his apartment and said, "All I'm saying is that I am proud of what I have done and what I can do."

"Like that?"

Anders followed Axl's jaw dropping line of sight.

"Fuck!" Anders hissed. He stormed over to his car forgetting about his little brother and could only stare at the shit his day had become. It wasn't even fucking lunchtime!

'DICK' was keyed along the hood of his car along with the rest of the sides of the car that had long vicious scratched out lines. The windows were all smashed and glass littered the inside and outside and the tires were all slashed. Not to mention the dents from what looked like a hammer scattered around the exterior. His car was in shambles!

"Who the fuck did you piss off?" Axl exclaimed amazed by the damage himself. Anders swung a glare at him but couldn't say anything. Fucking fantastic!

* * *

The phone rang again and without even bothering to glance at it Anders ignored it in favor of trying to concentrate on the files in front of him.

_Ring_

_Ring_

_Ring_

"Are you ever going to answer that?" Dawn snapped from her desk.

"No." Anders mumbled flipping the page in his file. Dawn let out a long breath and counted to ten before she strangled Anders herself. If it was a client whose personal information had been leaked to the press calling Anders it wouldn't be long before her phone started to ring as well. The business was falling down shit's creek and there wasn't a thing to be done about it. The worst part was that nothing had actually happened! They had been waiting for three days. None of the clients had called with a threat of legal action, ground-breaking news hadn't revealed the secrets that were locked away in Anders files, mobs with pitchforks hadn't formed yet. They had just been waiting for something to happen at any moment and absolutely nothing had been done. It was all unnerving and stressful and unstable.

"Why not?"

"Because no one is there." Anders said again in the same flippant tone.

_Ring _

_Ring_

_Ring_

Dawn jumped from her chair and stalked across the room. Snatching the phone up, Anders looking up at her unimpressed, Dawn forced a smile on her face as she answered,

"J:PR, how can I help you?" Nothing. "Hello?"

"I told you." Anders replied matter of factly as Dawn returned the phone to the cradle with a confused look. "It's been doing that for days. Rings and no one's there. There should be another call in about half an hour."

"Did you ever consider that this might have something to do with our missing client files?" Dawn grounded out from between her teeth. "Or does it have something to do with that blonde harpie that was here a couple days ago."

"What blonde?" Anders perked up looking more interested than he had been two seconds ago. Dawn clenched a fist at her side. This was absolutely typical!

"The blonde veterinarian woman who you fell off the face of the earth for three days with." Dawn had had the misfortune of walking in on them at Anders apartment when she had gone over to make sure he wasn't dead. Ever since then she had learned to let someone else find Ander's body when he did in fact get himself killed by some crazy woman who didn't realize that being with Anders was a once in a life time experience. Anders frowned for a moment, trying to remember, before his face brightened and he launched himself from his desk.

"Where are you going?" Dawn asked as Anders snatched his keys and his phone.

"To get the laptop." He kissed her on the side of the face with a loud wet sound before he ran out of the office. "Don't forget to lock up!"

* * *

"Hi there. How can I help-" Kylie looked up from her computer and the cheery grin that only a receptionist could pull off fell from her face in an instant. She was trying too hard anyone. Dawn was much better at smiling than her. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Oh that's not nice." Anders smirked before he stared at her seriously. "Give it back."

"What?" Kylie scowled.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"No, I don't."

"You had your little revenge. You wrecked my car and you've stolen my laptop. But when you mess with my business you cross a line. Now give me back the laptop." He kept his tone even and low but the flash of irritation crossed his face. He could see her face flush in anger at his confident smirk.

"I don't have your laptop, Anders." She hissed. "And frankly you're lucky I only wrecked your car." She gave a pointed look down with a self-satisfied smirk. She may not have been able to cut off Anders balls but the knowing satisfaction of having one upped him that night was enough for now. She had seen her ex-fiancé at the supermarket and what could she say? Her temper got the better of her sometimes and she knew Anders loved his car.

Anders growled with impatience. Rolling his eyes and he laid both his hands on the counter leaning in close, his words turning into honey.

"You're going to give me back my laptop and then I'm going to walk out of here. You are going to leave me alone and get over the fact that, yes, I fucked you for three whole days and it was probably the best three days you will ever have." Kylie blinked him as Bragi took over and she worried her bottom lip before giving a nod. He smirked seeing the bitch still open to his words and leaned back "Now I believe you have something of mine."

"I don't have the laptop." Kylie said but this time with a hint of remorse.

_Damn_ Anders sighed. His hand buzzed for a moment and the phone gave a shrill ring in stark contrast to the otherwise calm reception area.

"I'll send you the bill for what you did to my car." He pointed at her with a mock sternness. Kylie's eyes sharpened again but she didn't protest. "Take care of it and I won't press charges."

Without waiting for a response Anders turned on his heel and stalked out of the vet's office.

* * *

"Are you crazy?" Henry exclaimed loudly.

"Not today." Anders quipped. The American stared at Anders in that familiar dead panned expression that clued Anders in on the lecture Henry was going to give him.

"This woman drugged you and then tried to cut off your balls. She then took construction equipment to your car! And you went to her willingly on your own?" Henry said with a flippant wave of his hand. "Well now it all makes sense. You are insane!"

"It's nothing I couldn't handle. I thought she had something of mine. Turns out she didn't. I had Bragi take care of the rest." Anders smirked up at him but Henry only reeled back in shock.

"Took care of the rest?" Henry shook his head as if he hadn't heard him correctly. "Took care of the rest! Do you have a death wish or something? Did it even occur to you that she might be the ones making the phone calls?"

"How did you know about those?" Anders paused with a frown.

"Dawn told me." Anders rolled his eyes and poured Henry and himself a drink. Henry swiped the glass from his outstretched hand and Anders sighed as the American swallowed a swig of the drink.

"I think you may be over exaggerating just a little bit, Herc."

"That's what all those guys say!" Henry said pointing at the god.

"What guys?"

"The dead ones!"

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Anders snorted out a laugh from over his drink letting the vodka burn down his throat. Henry let out a long suffered sigh, bringing a hand to his face and rubbing at the scruff along his chin.

"You're right." He finally said and Anders knew he didn't just mean his over reaction. Anders nodded.

"Yes." The corner of his lips twitched upward and he worried his glass with his thumb.

"I'm sorry." Henry hung his head low clapping his hands in front of him. Anders scoffed and slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright."

"I apologize." The American said with a neutral tone.

"I accept."

"Now, I really need to get drunk." The way Henry slumped in his seat was enough for Anders to know just what his friend needed.

"Let's go."

* * *

Ever since that afternoon with Kylie, Anders couldn't shake the paranoia that followed him. He could have sworn he had seen a guy that had walked by them before, though he couldn't place him, and several women he had hit on all had faces that resembled people he knew. It was killing the mood fast and making Anders second guess himself. Instead he was at the bar with his little brother, nursing a drink in his hand, with nothing to show for it.

"How the hell does he do that?" Axl asked staring at Henry from across the bar. He was all easy smiles and charisma, talking up a table of girls and making Anders look like a priest. Anders smirked over at his friend from over his drink.

"Ah it comes easy to the bastard. They go to him. What's worst is half the time he doesn't even notice. Makes the other folks work harder."

"He can pick up more girls that you?" Anders almost choked on his drink and gave his brother a mild look of hurt.

"I didn't say that. I just said they go to him. See, baby brother, there are two types of picking up woman. One way is that you sift through the masses. Plus side of that you talk to several woman that you can get numbers from. Downside is you probably won't get laid. That's Henry's way. My way is um… a bit more selective."

Axl fiddled with his tie anxiously. "Why do I have to wear this again?"

"Because, you want to be a man? Then you need to start thinking of what you can be proud of. Women like power. They like success. What in your life can you be celebrating right now besides the fact that you managed to tie your tie without the use of an Internet instructional video." Axl glanced around, too used to Anders to be really insulted. The place Henry and Ander had brought him was a lot nicer than the places he and Zeb often went. How was he supposed to compete with business owners and rich arsehole's. Something he was proud of, hmm? You would think being Odin would make his life a little bit more interesting.

"I… finished my midterm." He said with a grimace.

"No shit! The grade wasn't on attendance was it?" Anders quipped. Axl rolled his eyes.

"Fuck off." He said before he took a sip of his beer.

"Alright fine. You have midterm grade whohoo." Anders waved his hands sarcastically. "Now you need to go out there sell it like you've just cured cancer."

Axl glared at Anders from over his shoulder as the blond shoved him from the bar but Anders only snickered. He signaled for another drink from the bartender when suddenly he felt the presence beside him, an arm brushing along his side as someone took Axl's vacant seat. Anders lifted a brow at his new friend, a brunette who flipped her curls over her shoulder, and gave him this sort of sultry smile that peaked his interest.

"Hi there."

"Hi." Anders replied coyly. He looked her up and down taking in her swelling chest and the way her little black dress hung loose around her shoulders and tight around her hips. Hazel eyes were doing the same as Anders's blue ones and the peak of arousal swelled in his chest. She had beautiful skin and Anders was certain he had never seen her before in his life. Selective. It was definitely the way to go. "Can I buy you a drink?"

* * *

Annalisa or Annabelle or something rolled off Anders, falling onto his mattress beside him. Both panted through their return trips back to reality before Andria curled up alongside Anders, her brown curls splaying across his shoulder as she laid her head on his chest. And here it was. The moment of truth. Anders had two options: He could keep this warm body in his bed if he felt he could go another round, if he did he usually would let them stay for breakfast as a common curtsey, or he would come up with an excuse for them to leave. He didn't really care either way. Annie had been good enough that he wouldn't mind seconds. But he had also been exhausted. He hadn't said anything to Henry, the bastard was already enough of a mother hen as it was, but the phone calls were seriously starting to cut into Anders's much needed sleep. In fact, his phone had rang in the middle of his foreplay and he had sufficiently turned it off when he made sure it wasn't anyone of importance. If he left it up to Angela to decide then she might get the wrong idea and Anders didn't really want to deal with another attack on his property.

But before he could saying anything either way there was a loud buzzing sound that made Alice groan into his chest.

"What is that?"

"Sorry darling." Anders winced. He pulled himself from her clutches, walking through the bathroom when Allison whistled at her view of his bare bottom, making Anders chuckle. He definitely could bring himself for seconds. She was a fun girl whatever her name was.

_Buzz Buzz_ Anders swore under his breath that if it was Axl drunkenly pressing on his doorbell, he was going to get an earful from Anders.

"Hello?" He asked into the intercom cutting off the buzzing with his finger. Nothing. He frowned. "Yes hello? Who's there?"

_Static_

The feel returned. The one Anders had had lingering within him ever since he had woken up randomly in the middle of the night. He could feel it creeping into his gut killing the exhaustion and pumping his system with adrenaline as his heart sped up in his chest. "Hello?"

"Anders?" Anders jumped turning to stare at Alyssa with wide eyes. The brunette had wrapped a sheet around her and was watching him with amusement twinkling in her hazel eyes.

_Buzz Buzz_

"Hello?" Anders called irritably. Slim hands wrapped around him from behind and Anders didn't need to look to know that Abigail had dropped the sheet. Her tongue was making circles along his shoulders and that was all he needed to ignore the persistent buzzing and return to his bedroom for round two.

* * *

Anders tinkered at Dawn's radio as she drove to the office. He felt comfortable enough to say the ride was sufficiently awkward with Dawn still angry at him about the laptop, though not as awkward as breakfast had been with brunette girl from the bar. His bedmate for the night had not been overly pleased with the consistent buzzing coming from his intercom by the door. So much so that Anders had to go outside just to check and see who the hell was bothering him. They had tried going a third round but the noise killed the mood rather quickly. It wasn't even in a pattern like the phone calls. It was just random and thoroughly annoying!

_Ty could only stare as his brother carried on talking, his finger jabbing at the button over and over again. _

"_Anders," He said. "I am a refrigerator repair man. Not an electrician!"_

"_It's the same thing. Wires and electric shit." Anders shrugged. Ty stared at him in disbelief before promptly leaving without a word otherwise. _

Dawn pulled up to the office, escaping from her car as quick as she could, and went about grabbing her things. Anders stretched himself out of his seat, his back popping and cracking down his spine.

"I still think this is far too early for any normal person to be awake." Anders groaned.

"This is when I get here everyday, Anders. I couldn't just leave the office to come get you." Dawn answered in the same clipped tone she had been using for the past week. She could practically hear Anders roll his eyes at her but she didn't care. Things had gone for worst to absolutely horrible. The missing laptop was still in fact missing, she had to get her boss to work, she was missing a copy of a major contract with a firm that Anders was about to represent, and the office smelled like something had died in it...

No, wait, the office did actually smell like something had died in it. Ander gagged against the smell, pulling his coat over his nose and feeling his eyes water. Dawn had to fight down urge to vomit, pinching her nose. Oh God it was horrible! Anders threw the door to the front open, letting air into the building but it didn't help the musky warm smell of death that filled the entire place. Glancing around Anders stalked into his office and looking into the lounge.

"Oh! Shit!" He reeled back. Dawn grabbed onto the back of Anders's arm, startled. On the coffee table the rotting body of a dead cat laid nailed to the wood. Its fur was clumped with blood and flies were littering its body. It was grotesque and horrid and Dawn gagged back the bile that rose in her throat.

"Fuck! Dawn did you leave your cat here?" Anders cried his face twisting in disgust. Dawn held a hand to her mouth, the smell making her stomach churn.

"I don't have a cat, Anders!"

It hit Anders all at once. The lightheadness from the lack of proper oxygen, the smell of the festered corpses, and the sickly sweet scent of perfume sent the god running outside and to the bushes to cough up anything that had been in his stomach, Dawn shortly following behind him trying to swallow deep breathes of air into her lungs.

"I'm calling the police." She gasped. She swallowed, fighting against the return of her breakfast.

"It's probably some prank or something." And even though he said it, that annoying voice in the back of his head started to tauntingly warn him against his words. But if this was what he thought it was then Dawn was treading very closely to the god circle of his life and he really didn't want to deal with a pissed off Ty at the moment.

"A prank? Anders, a laptop with valuable information has been stolen, you are being harassed both at work and at home, some woman totaled your car, and now someone has broken into our office to leave a dead cat on the coffee table. This is not a prank! This is sick and weird! There is a dead cat in our office!"

"Whatever." He couldn't fight her. Not when his stomach was threatening to revolt against him at just the mere memory of the assault of smells. "I'm going home to change." He'd deal with Dawn later.

"Anders!"

But Anders didn't wait for her and instead pulled his phone out, walking away to get away from the smell.

* * *

"You stink!" Axl had exclaimed the moment he pulled himself into the car. It was true. The smell had leaked into his hair and his clothes and he could only cough out the window as Axl rolled it down. When Anders didn't reply, only pressing himself against the door and out the window, Axl knew his brother wasn't in the mood and simply drove back to his flat.

The blond sucked in a shallow breath. Dawn was right. She always was. He could ignore everything for the most part but it was starting to affect their business. He hadn't had a good night sleep for days and now they were losing a workday because their workspace was unlivable. On most occasions he would have jumped at the chance to get the day off, but they were already on unsteady ground as it was. Pulling out his phone he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable click that occur with the pick up on the other end.

"Gunderson."

"Hello Colin." Axl gave Anders a weird look. "Anders Johnson speaking."

"The poet? I thought you had died." Colin scoffed. "What do you want?"

"I'm doing some research-" Anders got out before the god of tricky fuckers cut him off.

"Are you one of my clients?" Colin interrupted.

"No..." Anders said slowly knowing where this was going.

"Then fuck off! I don't work for free."

"Colin, I promise several of my clients are going to need a good lawyer at some point in their lives and they are going to come running to me for answers and suddenly you will have every high rolling persons in Auckland at your doorstep." Anders smoothly replied. Axl was watching him with interest now, unsure with where his brother was going. "But only if I know you are as good as you say you are."

There was a long pause before, "Go on then."

"A client of mine is having a bit of a fan problem." Anders knew Axl was staring at him and he couldn't help but to take a precautionary glance out the window and search the intersection. He wasn't sure what he was looking for but the cat had set him on edge and talking to Loki wasn't exactly help calm his nerves.

"You talking about stalking?"

"Something like that. It's more like phone calls and unwanted gifts. It's quite harmless really but this client is starting to suffer an unnecessary amount of stress."

"What?" Axl breathed with wide eyes. But instead of answering Anders waved at him to be quiet and a honk from the car behind them sent Axl driving again.

"Well then tell them to get a restraining order and be done with it. You're wasting my time..."

Anders rubbed at the growing headache forming behind his eyebrows. "Problem is my client isn't exactly clear on who exactly this fan is and so..." It sounded weak, even to his standards.

"Then you are going to need to find out who this person is and get a restraining order." Before Anders could protest Colin was chuckling. "Why don't you just fuck the bitch and be done with it? What? Couldn't pull up?" And then he hung up, laughing at Anders's expense.

_Useless Dick. _Anders thought.

"Are you like those chicks on those documentaries where the ex-boyfriend follows them all over the place and shit?" Axl asked. Anders just glanced at him in annoyance.

"No." Anders replied.

"Is this god shit?"

"No... Maybe!" Anders hissed having to turn again to avoid throwing up all over his lap. Leaning back into his seat when he had his stomach under control he unbuckled his seat belt and was out of the car with just a simple, "Oh look. We're here."

"Should I go in with you?" Axl asked getting out of the car and following him upstairs.

"Why?" Anders countered while pulling his house key from his pocket.

"Because someone could be in there!" Axl hissed under his breath being the complete opposite of discretion.

"My fish are hardly harmless."

"Anders!"

"Aren't you supposed to be looking for your Frigg or something." Anders called over his shoulder. Axl stopped in his retort balking at the sight in front of Anders.

"Shit." Axl breathed. Anders's door was kicked in.

"Fuck me!" Anders cried storming into the flat. Axl followed him and they both started to inspect what had been stolen or damaged. Nothing. Everything was in its place.

"What the fuck?" It was creepy how similar everything looked to the way that Anders had left it that morning. Turning he glanced at his fish, all accounted for and obliviously swimming in their aquarium before he spun on his heel to his bedroom. He kept important documents and valuables in his lock box hidden in the back of his closet. But that seemed the least of his problems he realized when he saw his bed. The mattress was shredded, his comforter torn apart, and his sheets were in the trashcan in charred remains. Some fucker had burned his expensive sheets like they were some grocery store brand or something! His pillows were missing and the headboard had knife marks carved into the wood, chipping the paint.

Anders puffed a breath through his lips before he left his room with a disgusted sound.

"Shit!" Axl heard his brother cry out in frustration. He followed Anders through the apartment, the blonde leaning against the island in the kitchen, his head bowed low.

"What are you gonna do?" Axl asked. Anders didn't say anything for a moment before he pushed himself off the counter and duck into his cupboard.

"I'm going to pour myself a drink."

"Shouldn't you call someone?" Anders ignored his brother in favor of searching through his liquor cabinet.

"Who?" He asked pulling out the vodka bottle.

Axl stared at his brother dumbstruck. And people called him an idiot! "I don't know. The police?"

"They won't be helpful. It was probably the girl I slept with last night. She wasn't too keen on my doorbell ringing all night." Anders quipped his lips to the side in a mockingly bashful smile before he pulled out a glass.

"This is serious Anders!"

"It's nothing I can't handle." He shrugged. He felt like he was saying that a lot recently. But Axl looked unconvinced.

"How?"

"I'll figure it out." Anders shrugged.

Axl chewed on his lip in thought for a moment. "Maybe you should call Mike." He said glancing down at the floor.

"Why?" He failed to see how Mike had anything to do with everything that had been going on.

"Because maybe this has something to do with your missing laptop." Axl cried flinging his hands out in frustration. Anders's eyes narrowed at his brother.

"So?" The clipped tone Anders was using was enough for Axl to know he was treading in dangerous waters. Ty and Axl learned a long time ago that asking Mike and Anders to help one another was like asking Olaf to give his weed to a shark. It just wasn't done. But he wanted to help and Anders sucked at knowing when he needed help.

"So, he can find it and then we can figure out what the hell has been going on? Maybe we could find out whose been harassing you!"

"I don't need Mike. I can take care of this on my own." Anders grabbed his drink and cellphone. "Now if you'll excuse me I have some pressing phone calls to make."

And without waiting for his brother, Anders brushed past Axl and sat on his couch.

* * *

Dawn just wanted to sleep. Her head was pounding and her stomach churned with every line she read on her computer. She had taken pity on Anders after she came in to work to see Anders already slumped over his desk trying to sleep. He looked exhausted, dark bags under his eyes and rumpled state being the first indicators. The espresso machine looked like it had ran a marathon! Dawn knew it had a lot to do with the phone calls and the fact that Anders hadn't slept in his own bed for several days. Anders never slept well when he was at other people's houses and yes, Dawn was aware how weird it was that she knew that. But eventually she decided to let it go. Anders didn't steal his own laptop and the business, despite his utter lack of actual motivation, was his life. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the company that he didn't know for certain he could pull through with it. It frustrated the hell out of her sometimes but still she had called a truce and ordered take out because Anders didn't look like he had eaten in days. And despite her firm hand in making sure things got done when they were suppose to, she was a mother hen at times if she was being completely honest.

But now all she could think about was the return of her lunch. The overly sweet smell that the clean up crew must have sprayed in attempts to the rotting smell reeked across making her stomach twist in uncomfortable knots. They had had to have the coffee table thrown away and aired out the office before any of their clients could come. It had been unbearable!

A cold sweat had formed on her brow and despite everything in her power to carry on, Dawn knew she wasn't going to last the day. Glancing over could only make her worry the bottom of her lip as her headache spiked behind her eyes. Nothing was going to get done if both of them went home today. But honestly, she shouldn't feel guilty for pulling one of her many unused sick days. However, that left Anders, who was dead asleep on his desk with his arms as a pillow and Dawn was pretty sure that if she left her boss alone nothing was going to get done.

She waited another ten minutes before the hammering in her head just got to be too much. She was going home and if she had to drag Anders with her and let him sleep in her guest room then so be it.

"Anders?" Dawn called. She groaned when she stood because the world started to spin a bit and she was unsteady on her feet. Feeling a bit sea sick, she held her stomach and looked back up. Anders remained asleep, dead to the world and to her. She huffed and walked to his desk, a much harder task than she thought it was going to be and called again. "Anders!"

Nothing.

Dawn went around the desk and shook Anders's shoulders but when she still didn't get a response she felt her heart speed up. The blush of panic pulled up onto her cheeks making them warm. Something was wrong.

"Anders." She said firmly. Still nothing. "Shit!"

Pulling him up from his folded arms and pushing him back against the chair she cupped his face and felt for a pulse. The thready beat under her fingers sent her flailing with a string of curses. Smacking him across the face only sent his head to fall limply against his shoulders.

"Anders!"

* * *

The room was spinning when Anders woke up, a groan escaping his lips and a wince to follow his headache. It took a while for his vision to adjust to the onslaught of bright color, the hospital ceiling an ungodly white, before he could turn his head to take in his surroundings. Henry was watching him with his hands holding his head up and the grimmest expression Anders had ever seen on his face.

"Someone drugged your food." He said in a flat tone. Anders's tongue felt swollen and dry and his headache was making it hard to process words.

"What?"

"Yours and Dawn's. She's getting blood drawn now. Ty's with her." Nothing was making much sense but Henry continued on. "Can I start to be concerned now or are you still going to play up the whole 'I'm fine' routine?"

The dry nature of Henry's tone had Anders chuckling lightly but Henry didn't return the favor. The corners of his lips slipped upward in a smile but he didn't say anything more. Anders sighed and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, try to scrub away at the exhaustion and arched his head back. When had everything fallen to shit?

"It's nothing I can't handle." Anders murmured tiredly just praying that his body would just let him fall back asleep. But it was too late. He was up and he was going to stay up. Instead all he could do was try and nullify Henry's tendency to worry too much and see if he could talk some nurses into giving him some drugs for his headache.

"Really? This is you handling this? Impressive." Henry's sarcasm was thick and Anders didn't need to look at his friend to know that he wasn't pleased. "Like I was concerned there but if you got it under control-"

"How's Dawn?" Anders asked changing the subject.

"She's fine," Henry said softly. He liked Dawn. She was a sweet girl. "Little shaken up but not nearly as drugged up as you. Doctors think it's because she didn't eat all of her lunch."

Anders nodded rubbing at his face. The hospital always made him feel fidgety. As long as Dawn was fine then Anders needed to find a nurse to talk into letting him go home. Henry rolled his eyes at his expression, reading his intentions, and stood.

"I'll go see if I can talk about a release form."

Two and a half hours and a guilt trip from Ty later, Henry was helping Anders up the stairs to his flat. Despite his protests of being 'fine on his own', Anders couldn't deny the fact that the drug in his system had left him weak in the knees and his body ached with every step he took. Henry, though hovering he was, knew that Anders needed to walk into his apartment on his own. His friend had already been through a lot and he needed some semblance of control to ground him back down to reality. He wasn't going to say anything and he knew Anders wasn't going to say anything but he could respect a man's need for independence any day.

When they made it inside Anders had gone in search of some clothes to wear and Henry had fixed himself a drink, parking himself on the couch.

"So the number is never the same?" Henry asked looking at Anders's phone and practically daring it to ring in his hand. He took a sip of vodka, wincing at the burn, before turning the cellphone over in his palm.

"Nope." Anders popped with his lips dropping himself down next to Henry on the couch. He desperately wanted to curl up in his bedroom, the new mattress in place and the smell of perfume completely gone, and the way his sweats and worn blue t-shirt were wrapped around him it was a like a lulling cocoon of cozy. Normally, Anders hated cozy but he was too tired to fight it.

"It either rings all day and I don't get any sleep or it doesn't ring at all and I stay up waiting for it to ring."

"Speaking of sleep you should go to sleep." Anders frowned and was halfway to agreeing with him. But when had he ever done well with being told what to do.

"I am fine!"

"No, Anders, you're not. Ok. Someone is seriously pissed at you and instead of trying to solve the problem you keep ignoring it." Henry pointed at him. Anders had to fight the urge to sigh at the tone in Henry's voice. It was tight with worry and his words were sharp.

"I've dealt with this type of thing before," He shrugged trying to pacify Henry's worry. They all had.

"Explain."

"It's god shit. Mortals are drawn to us. They annoy us for a little bit but eventually they move on." Henry's brows rose to his hair line with a frown marring his face.

"So poisoned lunch? That's a normal walk in the park for you is it?"

"It's never been this bad. But I am sure it will pass like it has before and will do again." Anders said getting a little irritated at the twenty questions when all he wanted to do was sleep.

"So you're just going to let this happen?" Henry asked with a bit of a challenge in his tone. Fuck it. Anders was too tired for this shit.

"I can't help what I am, Herc. Just be lucky you're only half god. I'm going to sleep. Lock up when you leave."

With an exaggerated groan and Henry melted into Anders's couch, kicking his shoes off as he stretched his legs making himself comfortable. Anders just rolled his eyes and turned back to his bedroom, crashing on the new mattress and falling asleep.

* * *

Anders stepped through the bathroom swinging his towel over his shoulder. Henry was snoring from the couch, his body twisted in a weird form that would hurt when he woke up. Anders left him to sleep with a smug smirk on his face. Stepping into the kitchen he turned the brewer on. Despite the hangover it had been the first time in weeks were he had a full night's sleep. He'd never tell Henry it but somewhere deep in his subconscious he had been thankful for the extra person in the flat that he could trust. It felt the like normal and he didn't realize how much he had missed normal.

Anders grabbed the fish food, a small smile reserved only for his beloved pets popping on his face as he turned to the tank.

He gasped jumping back like he had been punched. The water in the fish tank was polluted and streaks of bubbles from whatever cleaning product that had been dumped in it stretched along the glass. There weren't any survivors. Anders hands shook at the red smears that tinted the water a bloody rose color. His heart thundered against his chest and for a moment he couldn't breathe. Forget the car. Forget the strange calls and creepy packages. This person had been in his house when he had been in it, had killed his pets, and could have possibly killed Henry.

Henry!

Anders turned to the couch and smacked Henry's face lightly.

"Herc?" He called. He shook the American with rapidly increased panicked movements. "Henry. C'mon wake up!"

Anders cried out in relief and the pressure in his gut lessened when bleary blue eyes opened up and glared at him. But then Henry saw Anders's pale face and he frowned with concern.

"What? What is it?" Henry propped himself up and looked around the apartment before his eyes landed on the dead fish. His face set, Henry nodded. "You're staying at my place until we get this figured out."

"Shit," Anders cursed. He thought Henry had been dead. Anders had thought for a moment that he was going to find a dead corpse on his couch and instead of a cat it was going to be his friend. His dead friend. There was a burn in his stomach. His mouth was dry. He couldn't see straight. His heart was slamming in his chest so fast he couldn't breath.

"Hey! Hey! Anders sit down," Henry said helping Anders sit on the ground, his head dropping in between his knees.

"Fu...Fuck!" He grabbed at his hair that was still wet from the shower. Henry's hand landed on the back of his neck, gripping it light enough to ground him until Anders had calmed down.

"C'mon. Grab your stuff. You can crash at my place until all of this dies down," Henry said even though he didn't think it would. Anders didn't say anything for a moment before he nodded. Standing he moved into his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Henry groaned, his body protesting, as he stood from the ground. Sighing he placed his hands on his hips and walked over to stare at the aquatic murders in Anders's fish tank. It was a painful image, one that had both of them freaking out and Henry couldn't help the slight tremor that appeared in his hands with the thought of how close he had actually come. He should have known. He should have heard something. Any semblance of control that Anders's claimed to have was spiraling out of his hands.

Henry was going to be there to catch the pieces that fell because he knew that they eventually would.

* * *

Henry didn't let Anders out his sight after the attack on his fish. It was all together annoying and had ultimately ended up with a fight. Henry had left and hadn't come home that night and Anders had to call Dawn to come get him for work. He could say that some of the things said he hadn't been proud of, though he would only say something like that when it was Henry he was fighting with, but he had bigger things to deal with than his friend's feelings.

J:PR's clients' personal information had been leaked all over the place and it was a frenzy in the office. Dawn and Anders were both respectively on their phones trying to bring back together the shambles that had been splashed across the public domain. Axl was sulking on the couch, his arms crossed and looking sorry for himself. After the poisoned dinner Ty and Axl had become a constant presence in the office. While Ty only got in the way, Axl had been trying to talk to Anders for the past twenty minutes until final the blond had snapped and ordered both of his brothers to the couch.

"No, I am sorry. Thank you. Ok. Bye." Dawn finished up her phone call. She would have much rather been at home, taking her time to recover from being drugged (seriously holy shit she had been drugged) but instead she was at the office filtering phone calls that varied from sobbing clients to screaming lawyers. It was killing her nerves. She loved stress, she did her best work with stress, but this was a catastrophe and she wasn't sure the business was going to survive it.

Dawn gave a check up glance over to Anders who was leaning against his desk trying to massage out the headache forming at his temple. She would have been lying to herself if she said she wasn't worried about him. She had barely touched her food and it had knocked her off her feet for several days. Anders had the full effect of it and she could see he hadn't been sleeping again. She wasn't sure what it was that had been bothering her boss but she worried at her lip all the same.

The phone rang again, snapping Dawn from her muses.

"J:PR, this Dawn speaking. How can I help you?" Dawn answered half expecting another lawyer to call up.

* * *

Ty glanced at Dawn as she walked over to Anders, her face pale and her eyes wide. Frowning he stood but she didn't look at him.

"Anders." Dawn said but her boss ignored her.

"I understand and I see how that's a problem but maybe you can understand something when I say I am truly very sorry about your information being leaked out into the public domain and I will do everything in my power to fix it. But you have to stop calling me every twenty minutes so I can-"

"I just don't understand what I'm missing!" Axl mewled from the couch.

"No. No you shouldn't do that. I-"

"How am I not a man yet?"

"Anders." Dawn tried again.

Anders reeled back like he had been shoved with an offended expression marring his face. "That's a very rude thing to say."

"Anders!"

"What, Dawn?" Anders hissed glaring at her as he held his hand over the speaker.

"The hospital just called." Dawn said but the lump forming in her throat made her voice shake. Axl looked up alarmed from the couch and Anders frowned at her. "Henry was attacked last night."

Anders didn't say anything and just stared at her, his expression unchanging. Axl looked at Anders as his face paled and no one said anything for a moment. Dawn could feel the collective tears building up and despite how hard she fought them they were dampening the corners of her eyes. She felt stupid for crying but Ty placed a hand on the small of back. It didn't help. She sucked in a breath through her teeth and waited for Anders to make his next move.

Anders leaned back to snatch his coat before he tossed the phone to Dawn, letting her catch the phone and cord as Ms. Winters screamed through the receiver. He grabbed Axl's keys before his brother could protest and stormed out of the office.

* * *

"There was a lot of them at once. Hardly a fair fight. Do all New Zealanders fight dirty?" Henry chuckled. Anders could only wince when his laugh turned into a grimace and he clutched his bound torso.

"Shit Herc..." Anders muttered. He couldn't stop staring at his face, the bruises along his jaw and the swollen blue eyes. The wires and the tubes and the monitors. It was everything that freaked Anders out about the doctors and Henry could only tug at one of the bandages self consciously.

"I'm sorry I had to make you come to the hospital. I know how to feel about doctors-"

"Fuck off you egg." Anders scoffed at Henry's guilty expression. The raw sound to the American's voice made Anders gut twist into painful knots.

"Listen," Henry wrapped a hand around his torso again trying hard to not show how much pain he was actually in. But Anders could always tell when his friend had gone too hard at the gym and this was like that only on steroids. "Could...Could you call my mom? Tell her I'm ok."

Anders nodded, pressing his mouth into a tight line.

* * *

Despite everything his family could say, Anders had been through some hard shit in his life and he knew it. He had to grow up on his own with two younger brothers that looked to him for direction when he didn't know which way he was even going. He had to separate himself from the only family he knew because everything had turned toxic and sour and if it worked for his mum why couldn't it work for him, right? And he had to come back to the family that he practically took a fish cutter to and tore up any semblance of connection he had with them just to face them almost every other day to help with normal life problems that had leaked into god business. But he had always had some sort of control, some grasp on reality that could pull him back. Mike was an idealist, Ty was a pessimist, and Axl was a romantic but Anders had always been the realist in the family. He blamed a lot of it on Mike. His big brother had left him to face the all too harsh reality and that was something Anders didn't forget. Because, back when he was younger and stupider, he had thought that family didn't leave you behind. He had thought that family meant there was someone to rely on, someone to count on and he found out real fast that, that wasn't true. Valerie had her favorites, Anders hadn't been one of them, and so he moved on. He didn't need people, he didn't need help. He was damn proud of independence and he could take care of himself.

But the moment some obsessed mortal that thought they could step in and dictate Anders's life was when he was done. To attack the people Anders cared about was when the game stopped being fun. Michelle had learned it when she tried to frame Axl with cocaine. Mike had learned it when he had left Axl and Ty to fend for themselves. Now this psycho had hurt his friend and Anders wasn't going to forget the bruises that wrapped around Henry's body like tattoos.

_Ring Ring_

His cellphone buzzed in his hand and a glance at the caller ID was enough to tell him that if he answered no one was going to be there. With a defiant glare he threw his phone and watched as it splashed into the water, sinking to the bottom of the sea.

* * *

"Anders," Dawn said pulling her purse over her shoulder and wrapping her coat over her arm. Anders glanced up briefly at her as she placed a beer on his desk. "I'm going to go visit Henry at the hospital. Would you like to come with me?"

"No thanks, Dawn." Anders said with a pop of his lips. He sipped his beer and flipped a page in his file. Dawn wrung her hands together. She was going to regret asking this but…

"Anders," She asked again. The blond looked up at her with raised brows. "Are you alright? I mean… With everything that's been going on… with Henry… It's just I know you two are… What I mean to say is it scared me too when…"

"Henry's going to be fine, Dawn." Anders said with an easy smile that still didn't help calm her nerves. He stood from his desk and came around towards her, gripping her arms. His thumbs kneaded out the tension in her shoulders and he gave a reassuring squeeze before he released her and relaxed back against his desk. "I'm fine. You're fine. Henry… will be fine. There isn't anything for you to be worried about except for maybe feeding your cat because you've been here far too long. The poor bastard is probably starving."

Dawn rolled her eyes but smiled nevertheless. "I don't have a cat."

"Goodnight, Dawn." Anders replied with a smirk before he turned back to his desk.

"Night Anders." Axl rushed in through the door of the office with a wide smile on his face.

"Hi Dawn!" He said with a more upbeat attitude than she had seen him have in ages. She smiled her hello before she made her goodbyes and left to go visit Henry in the hospital. Axl bumped into the conference table in his haste to get to Anders, the mosaic cat nearly toppling over before he caught it and threw his hands out to his brother. Anders was watching him with an amused expression on his face.

"I think I finally got something I can be proud of!" Axl said. Anders waited for his overly excited little brother to continue further and lifted his beer to his lips. "I got a job! A real proper job that pays and everything."

"No shit!" Anders tilted his head in a mild salute to Axl who was practically bouncing on his heels.

"Yeah! It's a campus job so it's nothing that is all class or anything but it's a start."

"Yes. It is. Can you meet girls there?"

"Yes." Axl crossed his arms with a self-satisfied grin.

"Good for you!" Anders furrowed his brow at the package in Axl's hands, a small envelope that would hold official documents of sorts in it. At least, Anders would know as that's all he and Dawn had gotten in the past week. "What's that?"

Axl glanced down at the envelope. "Oh! Some carrier outside dropped it-"

The thud that Axl's body made when it hit the floor was enough to make Anders jump back with a curse.

"Jesus… Fuck!" He cried as he ran to his brother. But strong arms caught him and threw him against the wall with enough force that he felt the wind knock out of his lungs. He curled on the floor, gasping for breath but before he could get one a shoe slammed into the side of his face knocking him over and making him see double. The room spun and he couldn't tell which of the two Axls lying on the ground was the real one. He scrambled for purchase on the ground but as soon as he was on all fours the room shifted and he fell over.

Anders became painfully aware of the other person's presence when a hand gripped his hair pulling him.

"Package delivery!" David hissed before he threw a right hook that sent Anders limp to the ground. He must have blacked out for a moment because when he struggled to pull himself up again David was dragging Axl by his legs through the office and into the backroom before locking it.

_Move._

Anders reached out along the carpet before his hand found the leg of his desk. With a painful reminder of his body screaming at him he tried to crawl up. He had to get to Axl! But the room wouldn't stop spinning and he fell back onto the ground, his face breaking his fall.

Anders groaned into the carpet as David's knee found the small of his back pressing the god into the carpet. He yanked back Anders's arms and pushed his wrists together before taking his tie and tying the material around Anders's wrists.

"Fuck," Anders hissed into coherency. He struggled under David's weight but the carrier didn't budge. He pulled at Ander's on tie ripping the material lose and before Anders could call out he tied it around his mouth wedging it in between his teeth and pulled it taunt at his cheeks.

David panted in exertion as his lungs burned with adrenaline. Leaning back onto his heels and he wiped his mouth with his wrist before placing a hand on Anders's shoulder.

"Why'd you stop responding to my calls?" David asked. He jerked Anders up by the back of the collar earning a choke from the god. But he didn't care and dragged Anders out from under his desk and behind him to the middle of the floor. "Huh?"

Anders pulled against his bindings, trying to roll from under David but the carrier stood over him staring down at Anders. His face was flushed with sweat making his dark hair damp along his forehead. Thin waxy skin stretched over hollow cheekbones and there was a line along his face from where his helmet clipped around chin.

"You know," David said his hands shaking and his face ticking away like he was a human time bomb. "You really shouldn't have done what you did. Throwing your phone out, not going back to your house. How was I supposed to show you how great I am if I can't get in touch with you? I mean I have plans! Big plans!"

David paced above Anders rubbing a hand on his neck and licking his lips. "Dawn could see it. She's great, honest. You should treat her nicer. I felt bad making her stress out like that but… stealing your laptop let me get here to see you more often." He smiled a watery smile that only chilled Anders to the core. This wasn't god shit. This was real true mortal horrible fuckness and David had cut away Anders's only defense. The calls, the damage, the theft. Everything. His words were locked in his throat that felt tight and closed off.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to notice me? To see my potential?" No, he didn't and it was only because he never noticed the carriers or anyone that Dawn didn't bring to his desk for that matter. A fist came out of nowhere sending his head snapping to the side. He could taste the blood in his mouth as he reeled against the pain. "I mean I thought at first that I needed to prove something to you. I thought if I was patient enough... if I found that one thing I would have been able to make you see. I was going to let you make me into who I was meant to be. You just needed to see it! But you never did. You never saw me!"

Anders was still trying to escape from his bindings but with every twist of his wrists only made the material tighten. His skin was turning raw under his frantic movements and his shoulders screamed at him from the unusual pull. Tears shimmered along David's eyes streaming down his face and he spoke again with a betrayal that laced in every one of his words.

"And instead you spent all your time with those sluts you picked up at the bar or your little brother or that idiot American who acts like he's better than everybody else. It kills me when people who look like that can just get whatever they want when they do nothing." It wasn't true and Anders knew it. He knew how hard Henry had worked to get where he was today. It was something they had bonded over because Anders would be damned if someone told him he had just been given all that he was. Anger burned within him at the way David just threw all of his work aside like it was nothing. But David saw the offense Anders took his words and tried to smile in a pacifying manner. "He tried to keep you him all to himself. He's a pretty thing. They are all _pretty things. _And you like pretty things. It's like... like how your fish liked shiny things. But they... they aren't worth it."

"Anders?" There was a banging from the back room. He twisted to see but David snatched his jaw and forced him to look at him.

"Me!" David screamed. "I am important! Me! I'm gonna make myself something and not just be some piss poor carrier for the rest of my life!" The spit that flew from David's mouth smacked Anders like it burned. A tremor ran through him and it took all his will power not to look away at the intense green eyes staring down at him. There was a shift in David's face that was so subtle it was hard to figure out when he had switched emotions again but it made Anders freeze in terror.

"You don't believe me?" David whispered staring at Anders with hurt marring his face. "You think I'm crazy!"

He shook Anders by the shirt. Anders winced as David leaned into him, pressing his body close against his, trapping him against the floor. He panted against Anders's cheek sending hot breath along his face. The sweet smelling perfume reeked off of him mangled with sweat and dirt. In normal circumstances he would have made a comment about the carrier wearing a woman's perfume but all he could do was try and fight the bile that formed in the back of his throat.

"Is it because I haven't fucked you?" He asked. He trailed a hand down Anders's stomach, grabbing his groin, and squeezing so hard that Anders couldn't help but cry out in pain. But David didn't notice and just smiled. "That's how things normally go right? I fuck you and you make me a star."

He let go of Anders with a disgusted sneer on his face.

"Fine."

Anders could feel a rock drop into the pit of his stomach before suddenly David was on him, ripping at his clothes. Anders struggled with a panicked vigor and brought a knee up. He didn't do any real damage but he didn't really care because he was able to push himself from underneath David.

"Anders!" The door shuddered under Axl's weight as he threw himself against the door. "Anders!"

David grabbed Anders by the ankle and pulled but Anders kicked out landing the heel of his boot into David's nose. The carrier sputtered against the blood that gushed down his face as he clutched his nose. But he didn't give Anders time to move because with a feral growl David lunged at him putting his full weight on Anders, pinning him to the ground. Anders bucked from beneath him, trying to flip David off with his legs but David gripped his hair in one hand and punched him hard in the gut over and over again. It was a dirty fight that was sloppy and scattered until finally David was able to get a firm grip on Anders.

With a yell that sounded like an animalistic scream, David flipped Anders onto his stomach. He thrashed from underneath the weight, screaming, pulling, fighting but all he could hear was Axl trying to smash the door down. All he could smell was the sickly sweet scent of perfume reeking off of David that covered up the smell of sweat and grime. All he could feel was his pants ripping free of his hips and the carpet burning his skin. Something nudged him and he couldn't breath. He couldn't breath!

And then David collapsed on top of him, his dead weight and glass dropping around Anders's abused form. All there was silence again, the sound of Anders's hyperventilating making his ears ring.

Anders struggled to turn his head on the carpet and to see from under David's prone arm. Axl's friend, Zeb, stood staring like he was going to pass out at any moment holding the shattered remains of the mosaic cat. His face was a sickly shade of green and he could only stare, curse words stammering from his mouth. But everything came crashing down in a heap of shit. He could smell everything. He could still feel everything!

_Get it out! Get it out!_

Anders tried to throw David off of him and the sound that escaped his throat when he couldn't shift the dead weight off wasn't a sound he had ever made in his life. Zeb didn't move and suddenly the door to the backroom splintered under Axl's weight making them both jump.

"Shit." He breathed before sliding next to Anders and throwing David's body off. Anders cried out in pain before he could stop himself and Axl paled. He held out a shaking hand, afraid to touch Anders as if he could hurt him by just a brush of his fingertips. "Zeb."

Zeb didn't move and he looked ready to vomit at the sight of the blood surrounding Anders.

"Zeb!" Axl said louder though being careful not to shout. His friend finally looked at him. "Call an ambulance."

The mortal nodded and ran to Dawn's desk. Axl watched as he dialed before he turned back to Anders raising another cautious hand to unwork the gag in Anders's mouth. Anders gasped when his mouth was finally free and pressed his forehead into the carpet trying to breathe properly again.

"Untie me, please." He said quietly but Axl didn't move and Anders was very close to losing it. "Untie me!"

Axl jumped at Anders's shout and did as he was told. Once he was free, Anders tried to sit up reaching for his pants. But his body screamed at him to stop moving.

"Maybe you shouldn't-" Axl began but Anders pushed him away and that was all he remembered before he blacked out.

* * *

He woke up for several brief moments of time and he couldn't figure out which were dreams and which were realities. There was the time in the ambulance, with strangers frantically moving around him, and there was the time when he had been moving or at least the thing he had been on had been moving. It had felt like a bed. But then there had been the time he thought he had heard Dawn's voice, quiet at first and then shouting. But they had all been the same where he would eventually lose touch with reality and everything had turned to black again until he had woken up to the beeping of machines around him, the dull walls of a private hospital room surrounding him, and Mike sitting in a chair next his bed watching him.

Anders fisted his hands onto the mattress and pulled himself into a sitting position and Mike let him. He hissed through his teeth at the pain and he caught a glance of his reflection off the glass of the window. Bruises were bloody and black on his skin on his face and trailed down his neck. His hair was tussled and greasy looking. His ribs were screaming at him as he moved and he could feel a pull in his shoulder. He looked like shit.

And all the while Mike had remained silent, letting him adjust himself into an upright position. It was fucking annoying!

"Don't ask me, Mike." Anders said shortly because he knew Mike was going to want to talk. This was where Mike felt best. Where he could pick up the pieces and call himself a hero. Anders didn't need him. He never did. "I'm not going to talk about it."

"That's ok." Mike said with an annoying amount of patience that made Anders want to punch him. "We don't have to talk."

Anders looked pointedly away, staring out of the window and waiting for Mike to leave. But his mind didn't let him have a moment of peace and every sound, or silence in their case, made Ander's think David was coming through the door. He wondered if he would have killed Mike if he had. Or what if he had done everything to Dawn instead of him. What if Henry had been dead? What if instead of hitting Axl over the head he had killed him? He never actually figured out what happened to the carrier. He could be anywhere.

He hadn't realized he had started to shake until Mike had sat on the bed and pulled him close like when they had been younger and he had had a nightmare. He scoffed at the fake caring and he hated the pseudo tender hand that gripped the back of his neck and guided his head down onto Mike's shoulder. He kept staring pointedly at the wall and let Mike hold him because he thought that's what Anders need. To be loved in the arms of a brother he hated on most days. So he remained rigid and cold to Mike's embrace.

But then he caught a whisp of Mike's scent, the wood from the bar and a layer of soap and suddenly that was all he could smell to the point that he couldn't remember the musk of David or the overly sweet rank of perfume or the dead cat or the blood.

He sunk into Mike's hold, though he didn't return the hug and his arms just sat limp in his lap, and just tried to keep his breathing steady. But he didn't push away either. Because part of him needed it. It was like all the tension left his body for a moment and he was swallowed whole by the smell of his older brother. It smelled normal. It smelled safe. And it was the first thing Anders had smelled that hadn't reminded him of death.

* * *

Henry shifted in his sleep. That's what woke him up because, despite the painkillers, his body was still in a lot of pain from his fight. Sighing he blinked tiredly before he glanced to his left.

"What nurse did you have to talk to, to let you out of bed?" He mumbled, his throat thick with sleep. Anders gave a small smirk but said nothing opting instead to look down at his hands. He wasn't sure where to start; saying sorry wasn't something he did. But he needed to! He needed to say the words because the build up of shame was burning in his chest and kept him awake all night among other things. The last thing he was going to have keeping him up was Henry! He bitched enough about Anders not getting enough sleep. "Look at me."

Anders looked up at Henry, keeping his face blank and devoid of emotion. But the sight of the bruises, the wires running around his friend, made him wince all the same. Henry was staring at Anders with the same blank expression, his blue eyes serious. "You can talk to me whenever that sick freak gets back in your head. You hear me?"

Anders nodded looking away again.

"Hey," Henry said firmer. He saw the shell of his friend sitting beside him and it made his hands clench in anger. The shell was devoid of pride and anything that would have showed any semblance of the word. "You're the god of fucking poetry. Say some shit or I'm going to need to go bother Thor or something."

"You do not want to fuck with him," Anders quipped. "Big scary farmer with a hammer. Hit me with a surf board."

"I'd hit you with a surf board." Henry nodded thoughtfully and Anders actually scoffed. But Henry pressed anyway because he wasn't going to let Anders change the subject. "Talk to me."

He wanted to say he was sorry. He wanted to say he was the reason his friend was in the hospital. He was the reason for it all because he didn't listen. He never listened. It's what had got him in trouble with Valerie and with Dawn and with Mike. He was always too busy talking and not listening. But where the fuck did you start with that?

"I talked to an Irish acquaintance of mine in Bristol and he had some interesting ideas on where your cup is." Anders said instead. Henry didn't say anything for a moment and just continued to stare at Anders.

"It's a chalice and I thought you said I should give up the quest. It wasn't worth it?"

"Why would I say something like that? Quests are awesome." Anders said with a straight face. Henry snorted out a laugh that made his ribs hurt but he just rolled his shoulder, shrugging so he was sitting up more in the bed.

"Ok," Henry said with a smile. "How's this Irish friend know anything about Greek artifacts?"

"Let's just say this friend is as old as dirt." Anders bit his lip. He needed to say he was sorry but this was the only way he knew how. But he could see Henry was worried, despite his attempts to humor Anders, and he shouldn't be worried about Anders. Anders could take care of himself. He had done it all his life. He could do it now. He was going to help Henry to mistake the wrongs he wasn't going to admit out loud. Looking up at the Greek on the bed the corner of Anders's lips twitched upward, though it was a far cry from a real smile, and said, "What do you know about the city of Troy?"

**a/n: The muse has gotten to the point of starvation from this piece. Review and let me know what you think. **


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